Smith & Wesson not to blame

Neither guns nor gun companies are responsible for murders.

Firearms are protected in the Constitution but so are protest marches, and there is one happening right now. About 40 students and supporters are walking 50 miles from Worcester to Smith & Wesson headquarters in Springfield.

They are demanding that the gunmaker contribute $5 million to gun violence research. David Hogg, a student and survivor of the massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., who became something of a celebrity activist, is among the marchers.

According to the organizer’s press release, “The march and rally aim to keep gun reform issues in the national spotlight and to draw attention to the fact that young people feel unsafe in their neighborhoods, classrooms, movie theaters, restaurants and homes.”

“This 50 mile walk is about accountability,” said student organizer Vikiana Petit-Homme. “Smith & Wesson continues to profit from guns used in horrific mass shootings and daily gun violence in our communities. We have had enough. We are demanding that they work with us to be a part of the solution, not the problem.”

There is no doubt that these kids mean well. Hogg himself has seen gun violence firsthand, as have way too many young people in the commonwealth and the country. That does not mean the premise of the march is valid at all. It is not.

Gunmakers are no more responsible for gun deaths than cellphone makers are for distracted driving deaths. One out of four car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving, according to the National Safety Council.

Does that mean Apple and Android are responsible? Should they be made to pay? Will high school kids protest them and applaud their demise? Of course not.

Guns are culturally declasse here in the Northeast and considered downright gauche in much of Massachusetts. IPhones are cool and sophisticated. Hunting is a way of life for many people in the U.S., but can we imagine a truck with a dead white-tailed deer strapped to the hood pulling into Harvard Square?

There would be widespread panic and possibly a shelter-inplace order. The only greater affront would be a Trump bumper sticker.

If gun companies are made to pay for each instance in which their weapons are used to kill, should they also be compensated for each instance in which their products are used to deter crimes and save lives?

Like Apple, Smith & Wesson is a great American company. We should not harass such institutions for society’s failings. Further, we must be mindful of protests based on flawed propositions. In Parkland, a series of red flags was missed and law enforcement fell short on various levels, which helped to facilitate the horrible crime.

Smith & Wesson simply manufactured a legal product.